dorsal root

noun

plural dorsal roots

: the one of the two roots of a spinal nerve that passes dorsally to the spinal cord and consists of sensory fibers see also dorsal root ganglion compare ventral root

Examples of dorsal root in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The technology works by electrically stimulating structures on the spine called dorsal root ganglia, where sensory nerves return to the spine from the body’s extremities. —IEEE Spectrum, 19 Nov. 2023

Normally, the dorsal roots coordinate the delicate balance of muscles required for smooth, easy walking. —IEEE Spectrum, 19 Nov. 2023

The main outcomes are description of this clinical syndrome, results of TENS application, and S1 dorsal root ganglion blockade. —Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 1 July 2016

So far, the researchers have grown Schwann cells, glial cells that support peripheral nerve cells, and dorsal root ganglion cells, which carry information about touch and proprioception from the limbs to the spinal cord, on the scaffold. —Valerie Ross, Discover Magazine, 25 Apr. 2011

Working both independently and collaboratively, all three have used human dorsal root ganglia (DRG) — specialized nerve cells clustered near the base of the spine — to understand mechanisms that cause chronic pain. —Stephen Fontenot, Dallas News, 8 Dec. 2022

Blockade of the left S1 dorsal root ganglion alleviated FOS. —Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 1 July 2016

Nociceptors—and other sensory neurons—live in discreetclusters, found just outside the spinal cord, called dorsal root ganglia (DRG). —Stephani Sutherland, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

dorsal root

noun

: the one of the two roots of a spinal nerve that passes posteriorly to the spinal cord separating the posterior and lateral funiculi and that consists of sensory fibers

called also posterior root

see also dorsal root ganglion compare ventral root